Michigan Senate passes regional transit authority legislation

LANSING -- The state Senate passed a package of bills last week that would create a regional transit authority for Southeastern Michigan, but that hardly means that corner of the state is any closer to a unified public transportation plan.

The bills still must pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives before the lame-duck legislative session ends, and backers of the legislation fear punting the matter to the next session will deprive it of several supporters who are being term-limited out of office.

Still, Sen. Bert Johnson (D-Detroit), a sponsor of the bills, hailed last week's vote as a victory.

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"We are finally moving forward as a region and a state by taking this step toward the creation of an RTA," he said in a statement. "After decades of stalled attempts, characterized by bitter partisanship and territorial disputes, we are closer than ever to achieving the goal of building a functional mass-transit system, competing for federal transit dollars and bringing southeastern Michigan into the 21st century."

The bills passed 24-14 and most of the dissenting votes came from Republicans. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently told regional leaders federal transit funding would not be available unless an authority was created to receive and disburse the money.

The key bill, SB 909, would allow a county and the three largest contiguous counties to create a regional authority with a 10-member board. The likely arrangement for southeastern Michigan would have two representatives each from Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw and Macomb counties, with additional members appointed by the governor and the mayor of Detroit.

Other counties could petition to join the authority.

The board would be able to issue bonds and set fare schedules. A related bill would dedicate a portion of vehicle registration fees from the involved counties to support the authority and another would compel the state Department of Transportation and local road agencies to work with the authority to create special traffic lanes dedicated solely to public transit and emergency vehicles.

The state of public transportation has long been a sore spot for the region, especially in Detroit, where late buses and inefficiency seemingly have become the norm. Users have long demanded improvements and backers say the legislation would bring several different agencies, including the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, under one governing body.

The Legislature has tried 23 times to create such an authority in past sessions. The closest the idea came to becoming law was 2002, when then-Gov. John Engler vetoed the legislation on his way out of office.

Contact Scott Held at 734-246-0865 or sheld@heritage.com. Follow him on Facebook and @ScottHeld45 on Twitter.